Los Angeles, CA

June 2010

Pastry Chef Nancy Silverton studied at Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in London, England. Graduating with a solid foundation in culinary arts, Silverton returned to the states to begin working at Michael’s restaurant in Santa Monica under Jimmy Brinkeley. It was there that Silverton discovered her passion for pastry and returned to Europe to attended Lenotre Culinary Institute in Plasir, France to hone her skills. Upon returning to the states Nancy began as Pastry Chef for Wolfgang Puck at the notorious Spago.

In June of 1989, Silverton opened the restaurant Campanile with partners Mark Peel and Manfred Krankl, where she developed an interest in artisanal sourdough bread and began experimenting with it. These experiments would eventually yield artisan bakery La Brea adjacent to Campanile which opened its doors in 1989. Macy’s has since opened six La Brea Bakery Café kiosks, three in Chicago, one in Detroit, and two in Minneapolis, all inspired by the original. In 1990, Silverton was named Pastry Chef of the Year by the James Beard Foundation. After leaving Campanile in 2004, Silverton opened Pizzeria Mozza with partners Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich. Less than a year later, she opened Osteria Mozza, which was a nominee for the James Beard Best New Restaurant award. In 2012, Silverton was a nominee for James Beard Outstanding Chef.

Silverton is also heavily involved in nutritional education in public grade schools with the Garden School Project of Los Angeles and also with raising funds and awareness for the elderly with the Meals-On-Wheels program in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles.

Silverton has written numerous cookbooks covering everything from breads and pastries to sandwiches. Her seventh cookbook A Twist of the Wrist was published in 2007.